Re: conductivity= water quality explained

[Brian Ahmer <ahmer.1@osu.edu>]

> How low a kh do I have to get down to before my ph will lower?  I can get my
> kh down to 60ppm and still no ph drop.  I can't solve my water problems and
> no one seems able to help me.  I have asked many people.  I live in a rural
> area with farms, is it fertilizer run off?  I am not a chemist and a lot of
> the stuff you talk about is way over my head.  I have plants and only DIY
> Co2, is my C02 inadequate?  This ph problem is the same in all of my twelve
> tanks.  I am able to spawn and raise cacatuoides and Borelli.  My rams spawn
> and then eat their swimming fry.  Is it hopeless?  Do I just have to stick
> with fish that are not too picky about the ph?  Thanks for any advice,
> Teresa.   


Lowering the KH won't automatically change pH.  KH is just a measure 
of how stable your pH probably is (because it's a measure of total 
buffering capacity from carbonates).

I think people might get confused by the "H".  In KH it stands for 
"hardness".  In pH it stands for "H+" or "acid".  They're not meant 
to indicate the same thing at all.

If you're water is stuck at pH 7, lowering the hardness won't change 
it.  Although lowering the hardness can make it more susceptible to 
pH fluctuations.  But essentially you still have to add some acid to 
get the pH down.  Adding CO2 can decrease the pH also (90% sure on 
that one, anyone else?).  I use SeaChem acid buffer to get water 
acidic because that particular acid doesn't include stuff that makes 
algae grow like crazy.
--

Brian Ahmer
ahmer.1@osu.edu
http://www.angelfire.com/or/biggestbri


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